A pair of 18th-century Goddard carved mahogany side chairs is coming back home to Newport. We are thrilled to have been the successful bidder on these fine chairs during today’s “Important American Furniture, Folk Art and Silver” auction at Christie’s New York. They are believed to have been made in Newport around 1770 by either John or Daniel Goddard on a commission by Christopher Champlin of Newport, a merchant and financier. These chairs were included in a 1953 exhibition at Hunter House organized by the late Ralph E. Carpenter Jr. and were in his private collection. We believe they were part of an original set of 10 chairs; with this acquisition, the Preservation Society now has six of them in our collections. We hope that careful conservation study will yield clues about the original upholstery, among other questions. Eventually, the chairs will be placed once again in Hunter House – a welcome addition to its excellent collection of Colonial furniture. #americanaweek #thepres...